Road traffic during weekdays is finally back to pre-Covid levels. Data from the Department for Transport shows that on Friday 28 May, movements for all motor vehicles were at 104% of the equivalent weekday in February 2020 for the first time since the lockdowns began. Traffic had slumped to 35% of usual weekday levels in early April 2020. However, travel by national rail is currently just 45% … [Read more...]
Breath tests are six times more likely in Wales
Drivers in Wales are up to six times more likely to be breath tested in December than other months. Analysis of Home Office data by AlcoSense Breathalysers shows that in December last year, 7,345 motorists were stopped by Police across Wales on suspicion of drink driving. North Wales led the way with 3,964 tests – far higher than any Police force in England. Second on the list was … [Read more...]
Covid drinking up as breath tests decline
Roadside breath tests have plunged to their lowest level on record. Data shows that in 2019 only 302,281 motorists were breathalysed by Police – just 43% of the number of tests carried out ten years ago and an 11% decrease on 2018. Yet, despite the slump in tests, 16% of drivers were over the limit – the highest proportion since 2007. According to a recent report by PACTS, there was an 18% … [Read more...]
Drink drive issue not improving
The number of people killed in road accidents where the driver was over the drink drive limit has not dropped since 2010. Provisional figures released by the Department for Transport estimate there were 240 such deaths in 2018, exactly the same rate of fatalities ten years ago. The total number of casualties caused by drink driving increased to 8,700 in 2018, up 1% from 2017. The number … [Read more...]
Lower blood limit and more traffic police needed
A Government report this week showed that the number of people killed in road accidents where the motorist was over the drink drive limit has risen 25% in two years. There were 250 such deaths in 2017, compared with 200 in 2015. The number of serious casualties has also increased over the same two year period from 1,170 to 1,380. The latest drink-drive figures from the Department for Transport … [Read more...]
French police fine nearly 250,000 British drivers this year
It’s official, police in France prosecute more British drivers than any other country! The UK signed up to a scheme in 2017, which allows authorities across Europe to request details of drivers who have broken the law abroad. New figures reveal that France alone has accounted for three-quarters of all requests over the past five months from 18 European countries. The data, obtained by … [Read more...]
Summer drink-drive crackdown warning
Motorists are being issued with a drink-drive warning as police gear up for their annual summer crackdown. The number of roadside breath tests carried out in June is 50% higher than any other month apart from December. Police breathalysed 36,041 drivers in England and Wales in June 2017, the latest year for which figures are available. This compares with a monthly average of 23,840 across … [Read more...]
Getting New Year message on drink driving
Motorists could be at risk of driving under the influence on New Year’s Day. A new survey has found that 44% would drive before 11am, despite drinking five large glasses of wine or five pints of medium-strong beer on New Year’s Eve.Over a fifth (22%) would drive before 9am, according to AlcoSense Breathalysers. Just one in six (17%) would wait until noon, which is the time they are … [Read more...]
Newslines 21 December
The VW Arteon five-seat coupe is now available to order with a new 272ps 2.0 TSi engine and seven speed automatic transmission. The flagship 4WD model comes in two trim levels from £39,065 and £39,850. Only four out of ten UK motorists (41%) would call the Police if they thought a car was being driven by a drunk driver. A quarter would ignore it completely if they saw a car meandering in … [Read more...]
Road safety spending crashes
A row has erupted over the latest road accidents statistics and figures which show no accident reductions while a FoI request shows big cuts in safety expenditure by the Government. Nearly 4,000 drivers involved in an accident failed a breath test in 2017, according to Department for Transport (DfT) statistics. But the total number of drivers and riders tested fell to under 100,000 for the … [Read more...]